


Holiday Traditions

by LaLionne (otayuriistheliteralbest)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 25 Days of Harry and Draco, Christmas, Drarry, Established Relationship, Found Family, Holidays, Ice Skating, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-18 16:10:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21630352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otayuriistheliteralbest/pseuds/LaLionne
Summary: Harry didn’t know what it was about Christmas time that made his heart flutter in his chest, the warm glow of the season a beacon of light against the harsh temperatures and snow. He had never really had a chance to experience Christmas to its fullest in his childhood with the Dursleys. Now that he was an adult, with a found family of his own, he had established traditions of his own that he looked forward to every year.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 7
Kudos: 37
Collections: 25 Days of Draco and Harry 2019





	1. Warm by the Fire

**Author's Note:**

> I’ll be (attempting to) post a little ficlet each day that is a part of a larger story for 25 Days of Drarry. I opted to participate as an Early Bird, and so my writing will just be inspired as I go, with whichever photo strikes my fancy on the day-of. This is a low-stress event for me, so whether the word count is 100 or 5k, I hope you have fun with me and enjoy this story!
> 
> Please note that I'll also be updating the tags and possibly rating as I go, so keep that in mind and check the tags when I post new chapters!

Harry didn’t know what it was about Christmas time that made his heart flutter in his chest, the warm glow of the season a beacon of light against the harsh temperatures and snow. He had never really had a chance to experience Christmas to its fullest in his childhood with the Dursleys, always looking on as Dudley opened gift after gift and didn’t care just what they were, so long as it took him hours to unwrap them, a smug expression on his face as he saw Harry sitting in the corner of the room, a pair of socks or Dudley’s old clothes sitting next to him.

Now, though, he had established traditions with his found family, in the form of the Weasleys, of Hermione and her parents, of his Hogwarts year mates all getting together for the New Year at a pub to toast to another year gone by. It was good, Harry thought, to build up traditions. He liked the solidity of it, the feeling of permanence that he had never experienced as a child.

“What are you thinking about?” Arms wrapped around Harry’s shoulders from behind as he stared into the fireplace from his seat on the floor, his hot chocolate all but forgotten on the coffee table beside him. He blinked and turned his head, smiling up at Draco on the couch behind him and snuggling into the warmth of his body against Harry’s back.

“I’m just thinking,” Harry replied. “About how thankful I am for the life I have. I couldn’t have ever imagined it when I was growing up.”

Draco pressed a gentle kiss to Harry’s cheek.

“Neither could I,” he murmured in Harry’s ear. “But then, I was the Malfoy Heir with expectations to uphold. Everything became so much easier when I let those antiquated expectations fall away. At least Mother approves, which is all that matters anymore.”

Harry turned in Draco’s arms, looking up into his eyes. “Do you want to go somewhere this weekend? I hear the ice skating rink at the Tower of London is opening and I’ve never been ice skating before.”

Draco grinned down at Harry, snuggling in tighter. “I would love to see you fall on your arse while trying to skate. Sure, let’s go skating.”

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes, elbowing Draco lightly in the side. He picked up his cup of hot chocolate and cast a Warming charm on it, taking a sip as he and Draco relaxed by the warmth of the fireplace.


	2. Learning to Skate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry learns to skate with Draco's help.

Harry tied off his second skate with shaking hands. He didn’t want to admit to Draco that he was nervous to be skating for the first time, but he had seen a grown man topple over on the ice and almost get run over by some little kids that had been racing, so his nerves had started getting the better of him.

“Ready to go?” Draco held his mittened hand out for Harry, who grasped it firmly and wobbled as he stood on the sharp blades of the skates. Draco laughed at the look of fear in Harry’s eyes. “You’re the one who wanted to go skating, Harry! Come on, we’ll stay close to the boards and take it easy.”

The moment Harry stepped onto the ice, he nearly fell over. He felt the blade of his skate slip through the cold surface and threw out his arms to catch himself on the barrier. Draco snorted and lifted Harry up to settle him on his feet. 

“Really, Potter? Come on, let me show you how it’s done.” Draco glided along the ice like it was the easiest thing in the world for a few metres and then made a sharp turn with his skates to face Harry once more. “Now you try. Push off with one skate and then the other. You want to do it at an angle so you don’t accidentally do a split instead of moving forward.”

“Thanks ever so,” Harry said wryly, and steadied himself with one hand on the barrier, his knees bent so that he felt more centred. He pushed off carefully with one foot and then the other, still not fully comfortable with the skates. 

“Don’t look down, Harry,” Draco called out from a few metres away. “Trust me, it’s a lot easier if you focus on what’s ahead of you. Plus then you won’t careen headlong into me, which I think is a major perk.”

Harry bit his lip in concentration and lifted his gaze. He hadn’t even remembered when he had cast his eyes downward. His focus narrowed to his gloved hand on the barrier, the slice of his skates as he pushed off to move a little farther along, and Draco’s encouraging face in front of him. Draco was slowly skating backwards as Harry progressed, glancing over his shoulder every now and again to make sure that he wouldn’t run into someone by mistake, before calling out encouraging words to Harry again.

They made several laps of the rink that way, Draco sometimes turning to do a fast-paced lap that made Harry’s head spin before returning to Harry’s side once more. They took a break for some hot chocolate, relaxing at the crowded tables just past the ice rink.

“So, do you want to try again away from the boards? I promise I won’t let you fall.”

Harry leaned over and swiped a bit of whipped cream from Draco’s lip with his bare thumb, licking it clean, grinning impishly at him.

“Sure, I want to hold your hand like in the movies.”

Draco hopped up from their table and hauled Harry to his feet, pressing a quick kiss to Harry’s lips.

“Well, then, what are we waiting for?” Draco asked. “Let’s get on the ice.”

Harry grinned and tottered out to the ice with Draco once more, this time better-used to the feel of the ice under his skates. His palm sweated against the rough fabric of his glove as he held Draco’s hand in a vice-like grip, carefully wobbling his way around the ice. And if it weren’t for a well-placed Cushioning charm from Draco, Harry’s only fall of the evening would probably have hurt more than his pride. As it was, he got his moment with Draco, skating in view of the Tower of London, other skaters all rushing around them, and it was more than he could have hoped for.

On their way home on the Tube, Draco wrapped one arm around Harry's shoulders and kissed his temple.

"So, was it everything you ever wanted?"

Harry rested his head on Draco's shoulder and twined their fingers together. 

"More," he said after a long pause. "Because it was with you."


	3. Angels Market

They hopped off the Tube early and wandered the city after ice skating, not wanting the night to end. Harry bought hot chocolates at the closest Nero and they wended their way through the streets of London, resplendent in fairy lights and Christmas trees lit up for the season. The sun had set while they were skating, and the cold started to get to them. Harry cast a glance around them, checking for Muggles, and cast silent Warming charms on their clothes. The relief was instantaneous and Draco smiled warmly at Harry. They sipped their hot chocolates in silence, just enjoying the crisp November night, when they turned around the bend to Hyde Park.

“The Christmas Market’s open!” Harry exclaimed, turning to Draco with a child-like excitement that had Draco sipping his hot chocolate to hide his grin. They had been keeping an eye on the park over the previous weeks, watching them build the stalls and storefronts that would be up til the new year. Harry reached out and grabbed Draco’s hand in his.

“C’mon, I want to look around.”

Harry hauled Draco through the throngs of market-goers, eyes bright at the sight of star lamps, hand-dipped candles, the candy floss and drinks stalls. They replaced their empty hot chocolate cups with decorative market mugs filled with more hot chocolate, topped off with spiced whiskey, as they made their way around the massive market.

“The Dursleys would never have taken me to something like this,” Harry said when they took a break next to a food vendor, chowing down on fresh chips. “Even if they’d liked me, they never liked the pomp and circumstance of Christmas markets and never went to them anyway.”

Draco covered Harry’s bare hand in his. “I’ll take you to as many Christmas markets as you can stand. Want to keep wandering around?”

Harry disposed of their rubbish and surreptitiously spelled his and Draco’s hands clean once more. They donned their gloves and continued on through the paths lined in little shops. They were about to leave for the night when something caught Harry’s eye a few stalls down from where they stood, looking over intricately-carved wooden ornaments.

“Draco, I’ll be right back.”

Draco, who was focused on talking to the vendor about the detailed work she had done making her ornaments, made a noise of agreement, glancing in Harry’s direction. Harry smiled and pressed a kiss to Draco’s cheek.

“Be right back, love.”

Harry charged down the line of chalet stalls, worried that Draco might finish his conversation and decide to sneak up on him. He stopped in front of the display that had caught his eye, scanning quickly for what he was looking for. 

_Bingo._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today was a long day, so a short update to this ficlet-fest. I hope you liked it! <3


	4. The Glass Drake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still the 4th somewhere, right? ^^;; Whoops! Today will be a double posting day. :)

The little glass drake was exactly what Harry had been looking for as a present to Draco. It shimmered in muted tones of green and purple, with flashes of clear glass. Its paw was raised and held what looked to be fire or a crystal ball. Spikes danced down the length of its wingless spine, and the detail of the tiny scales was perfection. He wanted it.

“How much for the drake?” Harry asked the shopkeeper, glancing over his shoulder to check that Draco was still in deep conversation two shops away.

The shopkeeper was a burly man with bulging muscles wrapped up in thick layers to ward against the cold night air. He smiled down at Harry and picked up the delicate glass figure from among all of its companions. He twisted it this way and that in the light and named a number that made Harry swear in his head. It was too perfect a gift, though, so he immediately agreed to the price, pulling out his Muggle debit card to pay.

Harry had just stowed the glass dragon in his pocket when Draco came up behind him.

“How beautiful. Do you make these yourself, sir?” 

Harry jumped, smiling nervously at Draco and hoping he hadn’t seen Harry buying his gift.

“Draco, there you are.”

The corner of the shopkeeper’s mouth ticked up at hearing Draco’s name, and he gave Harry a broad wink. They chatted for a while, lingering at the stand as folk came and went, before waving the shopkeep goodbye and heading home for the evening.

“Those glass figurines really were something, weren’t they?” Harry asked.

Draco grabbed Harry’s gloved hand, leaning into him as they left the Christmas market behind.

“They really were. Now, let’s head home for real. I could use a warm fireplace right about now.”


	5. Hogwarts in Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, continuing my trend of being one day behind. Enjoy another little winter-time drabble!

There was something truly magical about the grounds of Hogwarts covered in snow. It caught Harry’s breath in his throat every time he saw it, coming around the bend in the road. Ever since the war, Professor McGonagall had established an annual Christmas party in the Great Hall. Unlike the Slug Club’s party of so many years before, any alumni who wished to attend were invited. Flitwick and Hagrid outdid themselves with the decorations year after year, the halls bedecked in a riot of beautiful colors and lights. 

Harry grasped Draco’s hand in his as their thestral-driven carriage rumbled through the snow toward the front entrance of the castle. It felt like no time had passed at all since their years at the school, and for all that Voldemort had consistently tried to kill Harry year after year, they had easily been his happiest years growing up. He was building new memories now, happier times that weren’t coloured by the trials of the past. He shook himself from his reverie as they pulled up to the entrance to the castle, the large doors shut tight against the cold wind swirling thick blankets of snow down around the carriages. 

Harry and Draco hurried into the entrance hall, their impermeable bubble head charms barely holding against the tumult of snow. They shook the snow off of their robes the moment they got into the entrance hall, checking one another over for patches of snow. Some had managed to blast through the doors at the last second, covering Draco’s hair with a powdered layer. Harry snorted and ran his fingers through Draco’s hair to clear it of debris. Draco smirked at him.

“Well, that was certainly a dramatic entrance,” a voice called out from the doors to the Great Hall.

Harry and Draco turned to see who had spoken, and Harry broke out into a grin at the sight of Hermione, crisply dressed in deep blue dress robes that shimmered in silver threads as she walked toward them, eyes dancing with mirth.

“‘Mione! You’re early,” Harry said, picking her up in a tight hug.

Hermione smacked him on the back.

“Put me down, Harry Potter. You’re still soaking wet from the snow, don’t either of you know how to cast a simple drying charm?”

Harry settled her back on her feet, sheepish.

“Sorry, ‘Mione, I’d forgotten.”

She rolled her eyes at him and pulled her wand out of her loose left sleeve. The spell spun around the three of them, drying hair and robes alike.

“There we are. Now, most everyone is here already. You two took your sweet time getting here. Hello, Draco, dear.”

Draco kissed her cheek politely.

“Hello, Hermione. Sorry that my boyfriend was harassing you with his uncouth greeting.”

They joined the party, and the night was spent in a whirl of dancing and laughter, Christmas crackers being popped, and above all else, everyone was _happy._


	6. Decorations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Draco decorate their Christmas tree, and Draco thinks about the future.

Draco pulled the last of the boxes of decorations out of the attic, holding it aloft in front of him with a simple  _ Wingardium Leviosa  _ as he climbed down the precarious ladder steps.

“Babe? Where do you want these ornaments?” He called out, making his way into the living room, where Harry was busily stringing fairy lights on the walls by hand. He twisted to look down at Draco from his perch on top of one of their dining chairs. He gestured with the hammer he’d been using to place small nails on the walls.

“Over there with the rest of them is fine. I’m just about done.” Harry turned and hammered the last nail in its place, the end of the fairy light strong soon following. He jumped down from the chair, excitedly plugging the end of the lights into the outlet, lighting the whole room in a rainbow of colored lights.

Draco shook his head. While they lived in a Muggle neighbourhood and he had been using more Muggle devices the longer he and Harry lived in this house, he still didn’t understand all the different gadgets they came up with. He had to admit, though, that the Muggle fairy lights were quite pretty, with the added bonus that you didn’t have to catch or persuade real fairies to live in your house as decorations for as long as you wanted the lights up.

Harry looked around the room at the lights, nodding to himself as he went. He turned to Draco, the excitement palpable on his face.

“Ready to decorate the tree?”

Draco wrapped his arms around Harry, pressing a kiss to his mouth. “Of course. Where would you like to start?”

Since neither of them had any sort of decorating traditions—the house elves had done all the decorating at Malfoy Manor, and Harry’s family never allowed him to go anywhere near the Christmas decorations—they had made up their own in the last couple of years. The pair had slowly collected ornaments from everywhere they travelled, and they were a riot of mismatched styles and colours that blended perfectly together in the end. Harry started with the largest ornaments, the simple balls in bright greens and reds that were carefully placed according to Draco’s instructions so that no two of the same colour hung too close to each other, and they were evenly-spaced all around the tree. Then they worked their way through all the ornaments, sharing a memory about the trip they had taken to Venice, Barcelona, to Los Angeles. The broom race through the Alps. 

It was a good reminder of their happy memories, one that Draco looked forward to more out of anything else at Christmas time. It was just the two of them surrounded by light the happiness they had shared over the past five years. In that moment, Draco imagined what their tree would look like in fifty years, in sixty, and a tear slipped down his cheek. 

In that moment, Harry turned for the next ornament and caught sight of Draco. He reached out to wipe the tear away, concern in his eyes.

“Draco? Is something wrong?”

“Wha—no, it’s nothing.” His smile was timid, trembling on his lips. “I was just thinking about what our tree will look like in fifty years.”

Harry’s expression warmed, lighting up from the inside, and Draco found himself splayed on the floor on his back, Harry’s body pressed against him as he peppered kisses along Draco’s face. 

_ Merlin, _ Draco thought,  _ I want to marry this man. _


	7. Cozy Day In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco makes cocoa as the snow falls outside.

Snow continued to fall in thick clouds that muffled the world around them. It created a calm that Draco and Harry had come to associate with the winter holidays and they craved those days where the snow would cover everything in the world around them. These were the days of hot chocolate and reading a book by the roaring fireplace, curled around one another on the couch, limbs tangled and heavy.

Draco was the first to wake up that morning, one eyelid peeling back to the sight of the snow coating the countryside. They had Flooed back to their country home from a night out in London, going to see a show on the West End and drinks at the Leaky Cauldron with their friends. The last thing Draco had remembered before falling asleep that night was Harry’s octopus-like limbs wrapping around him as his head hit the pillow.

Draco untangled himself from Harry, who grumbled lightly but stayed asleep, and slipped from the warm duvet to stuff his feet into fluffy slippers. He threw on his plush dress robe, a Christmas present from the previous year that he not-so-secretly coveted for its coziness.

Draco shuffled down the hall to the kitchen, yawning as his slippers  _ shushed _ over the hardwood floor. He went through the motions of boiling water, steaming milk, and putting everything together into two giant mugs without even noticing what he was doing. He stood for a moment at the sliding glass door, staring out into the blanket of snow. He shook his head, realizing what he was doing, and turned to quietly make his way back to his sleeping boyfriend.

He settled the oversized mugs on the nightstand and sat next to Harry, gently rubbing Harry’s back to rouse him.

“Harry, it’s time to wake up,” Draco crooned. Harry shifted in his sleep, shuffling closer to the warmth of Draco’s body and mumbling something about,  _ “Too early, Ron, go back to bed.” _ Draco snorted and ran his finger down the bridge of Harry’s nose.

“If Ronald has woken you up like this I will have some questions for him the next time we see him. C’mon, hun, I made cocoa.”

Harry’s eyes blinked open at the word  _ cocoa, _ a fact that surprised Draco not a whit.

“Draco? What’re you doing up?” Harry’s hand reached out to clumsily paw at Draco’s arm. His limbs were heavy with sleep, and Draco laughed as Harry tried to tug him back down to bed.

“Harry, I made cocoa for us. It’s time to get up.”

Draco lifted a complaining Harry Potter up until he was sitting against the headboard. Once he was sure that Harry was awake and wouldn’t drop his cup, Draco reached over and picked up both cups of cocoa, handing one to Harry and wrapping both of his hands around the other. Harry rubbed at his face with one free hand and flicked his wrist at the curtains of their floor to ceiling windows, wandlessly spelling them open. The pair of them basked in the sight of the snow, still falling rapidly, and sipped at their cocoas, talking about what they were going to do that day.


	8. A Trip to Hogsmeade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've switched over to live-posting these chapters on Twitter because that method has helped me to write each day and not worry about how many words each chapter ends up having. Follow me @lalionnebelle to get updates when they're posted! (NOTE: My twitter is NSFW, so don't follow me unless you're 18+)

Draco and Harry wended their way through the snow-covered streets of Hogsmeade, hand in hand and leaning against one another for warmth as their noses turned red from the cold, crisp air. They could have cast Warming charms on themselves to stay warm, but, really, where was the fun in that? Harry's foot gave way, and he slipped in the snow-strewn pavement, very nearly toppling them both over into a snowbank. Draco tugged him upright at the last moment, breathless with laughter that was muffled by the snow falling all around them.

Draco reached up, adjusting Harry's woolen cap, which had slipped precariously in his near-fall. Harry leaned down, pressing a feather-light kiss to Draco's lips.

"My hero," he whispered, startling a snort of laughter out of Draco. He flicked Harry's nose, making him yelp and pull away from Draco in mock-hurt.

"I praise you, and this is how you repay me? I see how it is. I'll just go window-shopping on my own, then, shall I?"

Harry stomped a short distance down the path from Draco and glanced over his shoulder, the amusement clear on his face.

"Well? Are you coming or not?"

Draco rolled his eyes and they made their way together to the main street of Hogsmeade, stopping to look at the curiosities that the shopkeepers had displayed in their windows, from the festive Christmas crackers that popped open on repeat in Zonko's Joke Shop's window to the new novels that came out for the holiday season in the Obscurus Books and More's display. Draco spent so long staring at a series of new eagle feather quilled in the window display at Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop that Harry dragged him inside and purchased a set of them and a few new bottles of ink.

"I know that the second you'd have the chance, you'll be back here again to buy them. I might as well save you the trouble, Draco," Harry told him as they left the quill shop, parcels wrapped in plain paper under his arm.

They ended the trip, as usual, at the Three Broomsticks over two glasses of hot mulled wine. Madam Rosmerta made the best mulled wine that either of them had ever tasted, and she refused to give up her secret recipe to anyone but her assistant who managed the pub on her days off.

Harry leaned back, sipping his wine contentedly.

"We still need to buy presents for our families. Want to make a day of it tomorrow? I've a list going, but I haven't had the chance yet."

Draco had already drained his glass and ruffled his loose blond hair in thought.

"Yes, we may as well. We only have a week until the Weasleys' party, and you know how time flies this time of year. I have mounds of paperwork on my desk to take care of before the hols."

Harry finished his wine and they got up to head home, making plans for the following day.


	9. Snowy Walk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a two-parter for days 9 and 10.

They took their time walking home after Apparating to their little village. Harry’s freedom in the snow left Draco in a fit of laughter. He had never felt like he could be a child and play in the snow, growing up at Malfoy Manor, but now in his late twenties, he started to understand.

The first wet snowball struck Draco in the shoulder. The second got him square in the chest. He let out a squawk of protest, wiping the wet, packed snow off of his woolen cloak. Draco glared at Harry, who was already bending down to make another snowball.

“Oh hell no,” Draco muttered, reaching down hurriedly to the snow that had piled up at the side of the pavement. His first snowball fell apart in the air to lightly dust Harry’s face, and Draco ducked out of the way of the next snowball that was lobbed at him.

They waged a full-scale snowball war there on the side of their quiet street, only about half of their snowballs hitting their targets. They were breathless with laughter by the time they ran out of the will to continue, and they stumbled the rest of the way home.

Harry went straight to the kitchen to start the water to boil for hot chocolate while Draco stripped off all of his wet clothes, dumping them in the hamper in their room and changing into fleece pyjamas and his fuzzy slippers.

Harry brought the hot chocolates out to the den on a tray filled with biscuits and miniature scones they had bought from the bakery down the lane that morning. He swatted at Draco’s bum as he passed him in the hall, heading to the bedroom to change as well. Bundled up in warm pyjamas, the pair settled into their couch for a cozy night in as they sipped their hot chocolates and read, the fireplace roaring. It was picturesque and exactly the kind of life that Harry had always dreamt of, in a way, when he was a child.

He would be content to lie there in Draco’s arms forever if he could. They discussed their plans for the following morning, the shops they would visit in Diagon Alley and Muggle London alike, the gifts they would buy for their families and friends. Draco pulled out a scrap piece of parchment and his new quills and ink, organizing their day to maximize their time. He also secretly blocked off an hour for them to shop on their own, so that he could escape Harry for a little to purchase a few things he’d had his eye on. It wouldn’t do for Harry to catch him at his purchases, after all.

That settled, they set up a game of wizard chess and made more hot chocolate, whiling away the evening to the sounds of embattled chess pieces and the crackling fireplace.


End file.
